Tax-form donations fuel select charitable causes

More than $1 million in state income tax refunds goes to fund special causes each year, the result of taxpayers voluntarily checking off donation boxes on their tax forms.

Gerry Tuoti Wicked Local Newsbank Editor

More than $1 million in state income tax refunds goes to fund special causes each year, the result of taxpayers voluntarily checking off donation boxes on their tax forms.

Much like a cashier at the supermarket will sometimes ask shoppers if they’d like to donate a dollar to charity, the Massachusetts income tax forms give taxpayers a similar option. By checking off any of six boxes on the form, taxpayers can donate some or all of their refunds to the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Fund, the Organ Transplant Fund, the Massachusetts AIDS Fund, the Massachusetts U.S. Olympic Fund, the Homeless Animal Prevention and Care Fund or the Massachusetts Military Family Relief Fund.

Additionally, taxpayers can check off a box to donate $1 to the State Election Campaign Fund, a contribution that won’t change the size of a tax payment or a refund.

Last year, checking off the boxes added up to a total of more than $1.1 million in donations. Over the past 10 years, taxpayers have donated more than $11.4 million to those causes, according to an analysis of Department of Revenue records. The totals have fluctuated little from one year to the next.

By checking a donation box, taxpayers will increase the amount of their tax payment or reduce the size of their refund. That allows taxpayers to donate even if they’re not owed a refund.

The state Department of Public Health oversees the Organ Transplant Fund and the Massachusetts AIDS Fund.

“These contributions are very helpful to the department’s mission, but more importantly, assist a number of vulnerable residents in Massachusetts,” DPH spokesman Tom Lyons said. “The Massachusetts AIDS Fund helps clinical staff at the Community Research Initiative of New England administer the Massachusetts HIV Drug Assistance Program. Among other activities, CRI develops clinical guidance for prescribers and responds to questions from health care providers about caring for their patients with HIV.”

Taxpayers have given more than $1.1 million to the AIDS Fund via the check-off box over the past decade, including $89,805 in 2016. The Organ Transplant Fund has taken in more than $1.3 million since fiscal 2007, a sum that includes $108,363 in check-off box donations made last year.

“Likewise, the contributions to the Organ Transplant Fund provide financial assistance to lower-income residents who are recipients of donated organs,” Lyons said. “It helps cover costs that may not be covered by insurance, including required medications and transportation to follow-up medical appointments that help keep organ recipients healthy.”

It requires an act of the state Legislature to add or remove a voluntary contribution fund from the state income tax return form. The last such action came in 2012, when lawmakers added a line for the Homeless Animal Prevention and Care Fund, which helps Department of Agricultural Resources efforts to reduce animal homelessness and support spaying and neutering programs. The fund has taken in $955,226 from the check-off box since its inception, including $236,077 in fiscal 2016.

Before that, 2005 was the last time lawmakers added a check-off box for a voluntary donation to the state tax forms, allowing the Massachusetts Military Family Relief Fund to appear on the forms the following year. Administered by the Military Friends Foundation, the fund was designed to assist families of Massachusetts National Guard members and Reservists who were called to active duty after 9/11.

The check-off box generated $237,923 in donations to the Massachusetts Military Family Relief Fund last year, and more than $2.8 million over the past decade. No fund listed on the tax forms has gotten more check-off box donations in that span.

The State Election Campaign Fund, which provides limited public financing for the campaigns of eligible candidates, has taken in more than $2.6 million over the past 10 years, including $248,647 last year.

The Massachusetts United States Olympic Fund, designed to assist Olympic athletes from the Bay State, has gotten $545,617 in donations via the check-off box over the past decade. Taxpayers donated $40,563 last year.

Administered by the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Fund gets donations from approximately 20,000 Massachusetts taxpayers each year. The state uses the money to help fund conservation efforts of bald eagles, peregrine falcons, piping plovers, red-bellied cooter turtles and other rare plant and animal species native to Massachusetts.

“The Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Fund is an integral part of the annual budget of the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, which is dedicated to protecting Massachusetts’ wide range of native biological diversity,” said Katie Gronendyke, press secretary for the state office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The check-off box has led to nearly $2 million in donations to the fund over the past decade, including $186,305 in 2016.

“By checking off line 33A, about 20,000 taxpayers each year have helped contribute to the conservation of the 435 native species listed as rare in Massachusetts,” Gronendyke said. “We encourage all Massachusetts taxpayers to check line 33A and help us ensure the future of fish and wildlife and their habitats for generations to come.”